It was Tuesday afternoon on Oct. 13 when musical maestro Richard Saucedo came to hear the Spartan Regiment play. From the low hum of the tuba to the gentle pipe of the flute, numerous notes hung in the air as the regiment played on, receiving advice from a true master of sound. 

From the moment they started it was clear the regiment was there to impress, and according to freshman James McKinley, learned valuable lessons on playing their music. 

“I got a lot of help,” McKinley said. “And not just from him, but also just from everyone overall that is helping conduct his music.”

Saucedo mentioned the importance of things ranging from the temperature of the air to harmonizing and making several sounds come together as one singular tune.  

Although it might sound a bit outlandish, just one breath can change the entire rhythm of the music being played, a fact that Maggie Hendricks, a junior at Francis Howell Central, brought to light.  

“I didn’t really expect anything per se but I learned that I was using the wrong air type,” Hendricks said. “You want your sound to be straight and well rounded.” 

Several of these factors influence how the regiment sounds in their performances, as mentioned by junior Anthony LaBanca, who gave another example of an important factor which doesn’t just involve how the music sounds, but who hears it.

“I [learned] how to breathe deeper, which lets me play farther than where you would [originally] hear my sound,” LaBanca said. “[It] also helped me blend in with the rest of the sound.” 

Deeper, more clearer breaths allow the sound being made to be heard more clearly from farther away. This is because lower frequency sounds travel farther than higher frequency ones, and pass through solid objects without losing too much energy. 

No matter how one plays it, hears it, or somewhere inbetween, the Spartan Regiment sure showed Saucedo that playing fortissimo was their forte, which wasn’t just a play on words, but a statement well supported considering everything the regiment has been improving upon. 

“You never know what to expect because some things can just change in a huge way,” McKinley said. “I think that with all the things we’ve done, it’s just really great to see it all come together.”